Software:Tunnel B1

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Tunnel B1
European cover art
Developer(s)NEON Software
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Antony Christoulakis
Jan Joeckel
Boris Triebel
Artist(s)Andreas Samland
Leif Rumbke
Composer(s)Chris Huelsbeck
Platform(s)MS-DOS, PlayStation, Saturn
ReleasePlayStation
  • EU: October 19, 1996
  • JP: October 04, 1996
  • NA: November 21, 1996
MS-DOS
Saturn
  • EU: October 16, 1996
  • NA: January 15, 1997
  • JP: August 29, 1997
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Tunnel B1 is a first-person shooter developed by NEON Software and published by Ocean Software in 1996. The soundtrack is by Chris Huelsbeck who also scored Turrican. The PlayStation and Sega Saturn ports were released in Japan as 3D Mission Shooting: Finalist (３Ｄミッション・シューティング ファイナリスト).

Gameplay

The player character travels through a set of precarious tunnels in a high-tech hovercraft. The tunnels are filled with enemy vehicles, choppers and sentry guns which the player has to take out or avoid. Many sections require the player to clear them in a given time limit.[2] The player can upgrade their weaponry.

A complete map of each level can be accessed at any time.[3]

Development

NEON Software began by working on a game which alternated between segments in a hovercraft and segments in a helicopter, both running on the same game engine. Publisher Ocean Software felt the two play styles did not work well together and suggested that they split them into two separate games. The helicopter segments became Viper, while the hovercraft segments became Tunnel B1.[4]

A demonstration at the April 1996 European Computer Trade Show impressed crowds, and Sony Computer Entertainment subsequently purchased the rights to publish Tunnel B1 and Viper for the PlayStation in North America.[5] Ocean later sold the North American publishing rights for all versions of the game to Acclaim Entertainment, stating that they wanted to focus more on development.[6]

Viper saw release in 1998 on the PlayStation in Europe only, being published by Infogrames following their purchase of Ocean. By this time Viper had been reworked to use the P.H.I.G.S. engine and development had been taken over by X-Ample Architectures, a team formed by former members of NEON.[7]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM7.75/10 (PS1)[8]
GameSpot4.6/10 (PS1)[9]
Next GenerationStarStarStar (PS1)[10]
Sega Saturn Magazine87% (SAT)[11]

Most reviews for Tunnel B1 highly praised the game's visuals, especially the lighting effects.[8][10][11][12][13] However, most also remarked that the gameplay, while fast-paced and competently designed, is too simplistic and lacking in variety to maintain the player's interest.[9][10][11][12] Some also criticized the low-to-the-ground perspective.[8][9] A reviewer for Next Generation felt the game could still be worthwhile so long as the buyer didn't expect much from the gameplay,[10] while Scary Larry and Dr. Zombie of GamePro both contended that "a weekend rental" would be sufficient to exhaust what enjoyment the game has to offer,[12][13] and GameSpot's Jeff Kitts found it too relentlessly boring to merit attention.[9] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly instead contended that Tunnel B1 does manage to combine its impressive visuals with flawed but overall fun gameplay. Shawn Smith and Crispin Boyer elaborated that while it does seem repetitious in the early levels, those who persevere will find the game has a satisfying amount of variety.[8] Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine was pleased that, apart from the replacement of the transparencies with meshes, the Saturn conversion is nearly identical to the PlayStation original, and includes some exclusive content to somewhat make up for the loss of transparencies. He summarized the game as "Not the classic it should have been, but pretty solid (if a tad samey) entertainment."[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. http://www.ogr.com/news/news1296.html. 
  2. ↑ "Tunnel B1: WipeOut Meets Descent". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (89): 298–9. December 1996. 
  3. ↑ "Tunnel B1: Fighter Flies! Holy Cripes! They're All Coming Out the Pipes! Aieee!". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (12): 22. October 1996. 
  4. ↑ "Spiele Dealers". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (7): 56–59. May 1996. 
  5. ↑ "Sony Grabs Ocean Titles". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (19): 21. July 1996. 
  6. ↑ "Tidbits...". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (89): 28. December 1996. 
  7. ↑ "NG Alphas: Viper". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (39): 90–91. March 1998. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Review Crew: Tunnel B1". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (90): 66. January 1997. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Kitts, Jeff (December 1, 1996). "Tunnel B1 Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tunnel-b1-review/1900-2550009/. Retrieved 6 January 2018. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Tunnel B1". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (25): 176. January 1997. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Leadbetter, Rich (January 1997). "Review: Tunnel B1". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (15): 84–85. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Quick Hits: Tunnel B1". GamePro (IDG) (101): 74. February 1997. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Saturn ProReview: Tunnel B1". GamePro (IDG) (104): 94. May 1997. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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